There are many types of machines that have been used for the purpose of re-orienting placing goods in the proper location for the shipment of the goods, such as in layers on a pallet. In these configurations, the goods can be readily prepared for shipment in a conventional manner.
However, due to the variety of configurations of the goods and packaging for the goods to be positioned on the pallets for shipment, one significant issue in performing this function is properly aligning the goods/packages in the appropriate layers in order to effectively form the pallet. A number of other considerations, such as the weight of the goods in the packages, the number of packages to be placed on the pallet, etc., are also taken into account when determining where and in what arrangement to properly locate the packages in the pallet.
With prior art machines of this type, the primary function of the machine is to determine the type of good/package, to orient the good/package in the proper manner, and the move the good/package into the proper position on the pallet. When a completed layer of the goods/packages is completed on the pallet, the machine can further lower the pallet in order to position the pallet in a position where it can accept another layer of the goods/packages thereon, or, if full, the pallet can be moved from the machine for further processing prior to shipment, with an empty pallet being substituted in its place to receive additional goods/packages.
The goods/packages are moved towards the machine in any conventional manner, such as on a conveyor belt, to maintain the flow of the goods/packages as desired. Upon reaching the machine, the goods/packages are positioned in the desired configuration by the machine in order to enable the goods/packages to be ready for placement on the pallet.
In prior art machines that perform this function, the orientation of the goods/packages is accomplished by a variety of devices placed in the path of the packages as they move to a palletizing station of the machine. One example of these types of devices is formed as a conveyor having shiftable barrier components thereon which can be moved into various positions over the conveyor belt to deflect the incoming packages into a desired position in conjunction with the side rails positioned on either side of the conveyor.
Other devices include frames having one or movable portions on which is disposed a head having a number of suction or other grippers attached to the head. The grippers operate to grab each package and lift and rotate the package into the desired position. Once in that position, the head is moved over the pallet and subsequently lowered to position the package where desired on the pallet.
While these devices are capable of moving packages into desired positions to form layers of the packages or items in forming pallets of the items for shipment, the devices require many separate structural items separate from the actual items or package conveyance line, which greatly increases the complexity and cost of the devices.
In addition, while the movable barrier components or grippers can effectively move most of the types of items which are being stacked on a pallet, the weight of the items can create issues with each of these types of device. For items that are relatively lightweight, they can bounce off of the movable barriers into orientations that cannot be readily stacked. Conversely, for items that a relatively heavy, the suction or gripper head cannot effectively lift the heavy item into the proper orientation and location.
Further, most of the prior art devices are constructed and operate in a manner that when the device is inoperable for some reason, the conveyance line for palletizing the items or packages cannot be run until the device is made operable once again. Further, the prior art devices do not include structures that are readily capable of engaging and straightening or aligning a stack of sheets with one another as that stack is also moved by the device into the desired position.
Thus, it is desirable to develop a device that can operate to position items and packages, such as boxes or stacks of sheets of material, for example, in a desired position in a number of layers to form a pallet that can rotate the items into the desired position for forming a layer on a pallet. It is also desirable to develop a device that can accomplish this function with existing conveyance lines but without impairing the operation of the line when the device is not operating. It is still also desirable to develop a device that is able to align and reposition the items without having the weight of the items affect the operation of the device or the need for lifting the items above the surface of the conveyance line.